Rubber overshoes



April 2, 1957 N. A. AUSTIN RUBBER OVER-SHOES Filed Sept. 27, 1954 United States Patent RUBBER OVERSHOES Noel A. Austin, Granby, Quebec, Canada,

The Miner Rubber Company Limited, Canada assignor to Granby, Quebec,

This invention relates to improvements in mens rubber overshoes.

The invention has, for its object, the provision of a rubber overshoe which clings tightly to the heel of the particular size of shoe for which the overshoe is designed and thus minimizes the hazard of the overshoe becoming detached from the shod foot of the wearer.

The foregoing object is achieved by building the overshoe on a last shaped so that the heel portion of the overshoe is crimped inwardly to provide an inwardly projecting heel-gripping ridge extending along the rear and sides of the mouth portion of a heel-receiving pocket in which the heel portion of the wearers shoe is fitted.

Other objects, advantages and characteristic features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a so-called spat type of rubber overshoe embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the overshoe shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the overshoe shown in the preceding figures.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the section 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the manner in which the overshoe is formed by building it on a suitably shaped last.

I have elected to illustrate my invention as embodied in an overshoe of the so-called spat type since the invention is particularly useful in connection with this type of overshoe which, because of its substantially full length top opening, has a greater tendency to become detached from the wearers shoe as compared with overshoes having a full vamp portion. It is obvious, however, that the invention is not limited in its application to overshoes of the spa type but may be employed to advantage in the fabrication of various other types of mens overshoes.

The overshoe shown in the present drawings is formed with a bottom ground-engaging wall 6 extending the full length of the overshoe and having its rear portion shaped to provide the front Wall 7 and bottom wall 8 of a heelreceiving pocket 9 adapted to receive therein the heel of the wearers shoe. That part of ground-engaging wall 6 which lies forwardly of heel-receiving pocket 9 is bounded at its sides by upwardly extending side walls 10 and at its toe end by an upwardly extending toe engaging Wall 11, the said walls 10 and 11 being of the relatively low height characteristic of spat type overshoes and being adapted to engage, respectively, the side and toe end edges of the wearers shoe.

The aforesaid side walls 10 are formed integral with a rear counter portion 12 which is also integral with side and rear walls 13 and 14 extending upwardly from the rear portion of ground-engaging wall ti and forming, respectively, the side and rear walls of the heel-receiving pocket 9.

The overshoe described herein is formed on a specially shaped last 16 (Fig. 5) so that, during formation thereof, the heel portion of the overshoe is crimped inwardly along the juncture of the counter portion 12 with side walls 13 and rear wall 14 of pocket 9 to thereby provide an inwardly projecting heel-gripping ridge 17 extending along the rear and sides of the mouth portion of said pocket, and merging at both sides with the front wall 7 of the pocket 9 where the front wall 7 merges with the ground-engaging wall 6. This ridge 17 grips the heel of the wearers shoe with sufficient pressure to ensure that the heel portion of the overshoe will be retained in place.

The overshoe is built up on the last 16 so that the side walls 13 and rear wall 14 of pocket 9 have a slight inward inclination and are formed with slightly concavely curved inner surfaces as indicated at 18 in Figs. 1 and 4. This method of forming the side and rear walls of pocket 9 also assists in assuring that said ridge will grip the heel. portion of the shoe with the requisite pressure to eliminate danger of the overshoe becoming detached.

The inner surfaces of the side and rear portions of the counter 12 are also concavely curved to fit the counter of the wearers shoe in such manner that the ridge 17 will ordinarily overlie the ridge formed by the heel portion of the shoe at the base of the counter portion.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

The embodiment of the invention in which an ex elusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

A rubber overshoe for shoes of the usual type having a groove between the heel and the upper of said shoes, said overshoe having a heel receiving portion for reception of the heel of such a shoe and a counter portion integral with said heel portion, said heel portion comprising vertically concave side and rear walls comparatively rigid with respect to said counter portion, and an inwardly projecting relatively sharp ridge around the upper edge of said side and rear Walls defining the mouth of said heel receiving portion and adapted to securely engage the groove between the heel and upper of such a shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 368,663 Fry et al. Aug. 23, 1887 415,922 OHara Nov. 26, 1889 2,257,902 De Noronha Oct. 7, 1941 

